Device for conditioning and cooling air



Jan. v11, 193s..

P. CROSLEY, JR

DEVICE FOR CONDITIONING AND COOLING AIR Filed March 8,."1934 e' sheets-sheet 1 R. .l mhd meA Nm@ ATTORNEYS.

Jan.i 11, 1938. P. cRosLEY. JR 2,105,108

DEVICE FOR CONDITIONING AND COOLING AIR K Filed March 8, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Mwawv.,

INVENTOR,

ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 11, 1938. CROSLEY, JR 2,105,108

DEVICE FOR CONDITIONING AND COOLING AIR Filed March 8, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N VE NTOR Wwf/03%, v wwbaywb ATTORNEYS.

Jan, 1l, 1938. P. cRosLEY, JR o2,105,108 I DEVICE FOR CONDITIONING AND COOLING AIR Filed MaICh 8, 1934 .s sheets-Strien 4 9 Z @Hu @nu and onu 4 11i- IAT-- ha l I i INVENTOR zw/ gw /vy' BY ATToRNEYs Jan. 11, 193s. P. CROSLEY..JR 2,105,108

DEVICE FOR CONDITONING AND COOL'ING AIR Filed Maron s, V41934 e sheets-sheet 5 ATTORNEYS.

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Jan. 11'1938f P. cRosLEY. JR I A DEVICE FORn CONDITIONING AND COOLING AIR Filed Mrcnfe, 1954 6 Shee'tswsheei 6 ATTORNEYS.

' Patented Jan. v11, 1.938

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE Fon connrignc AND cooLlNc Powel Crosley, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Crosley Radio Corporation, Cincinnati,. Ohio, a corporation o! Ohio Application March 8, 1934, Serial No. '114,687

(ci. ca-izo) 1Claims.

My invention is addressed to the conditioning and cooling of air in a restricted zone. It is a modication of the structure in my co-pending application Ser. No. 715,077 filed March 12, 1934. In general the objects of these inventions are the provision of a portable air conditioning, cooling, and dehumidifying device of low power `requirements, and in which the isolation of the particular zone to be cooled permits the location of all parts of the apparatus in a single room and permits entire portability.

The speciilc objects `of the present invention relate to a general structure for the purpose, and

more specifically to the provision of means i'or 1I securing a forced circulation of air, a positivell conditioning of all air which enters the restricted area, as well 'as a control of the nature and extent of the circulation of air within the restricted zone. `.These objects are of particular importance where it is desired, for the comfort or treatment of the user, to condition the air for respiration prior to its use. It has been shown, for example, that the cooling of humid suminer air to a temperature sufcient to condense considerable quantities of moisture therefrom is effective in removing pollens and other foreign matter'ln the air, so that my device isv of importance in the :atment of hay fever, pollen asthma and the 'I'hese and other objects of my invention, which will be set forth hereinafter, or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these' speciiications, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe -an exemplary embodiment. This embodiment has to do with the problem of cooling and conditioning the air, immediately surrounding a bed; but lit will be understood that modifications may be made in my apparatus to 4o adapt it for the cooling of any other zone of immediate occupancy. v

Reference is now made to the drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my cooling device and one form of associatedy canopy.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. `1a is a longitudinal section of another form of assembly.

Fig. 2d is a transverse section thereof along the lines 2cv-2a of Figure 1a.

Fig. 3 is a semi-sectional view, through coolingunit, along the lines 2--2 in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the cool- 55 ing unit, taken along the lines 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 4a isa transverse isectional' view ofv a somewhat different form of assembly.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view through the upper part of the cooling unit, taken along4 the lines 6-5 in Fig. 3.

Figs. 6 and '1, show the various positions.

Fig. 8 is a detailed perspective view of the evaporator support and the device for collecting the moisture condensed upon the evaporator.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a portable device comprising a base lupon casters, ,-,f bearing both a refrigerating devfce, as hereinafter to be described, and means for supporting a canopy. The device can be wheeled into prox- 15 imity to a bed, preferably against the side thereof.' with the canopy disposed over the bed, and the edges tucked in around the mattress if desired. Within a housing supported by the base, are two compartments, one containing a motor, 20 compressor and condenser, and the other con-7 taining an evaporator. Means for forced circulation of air are provided in bothcompartments. 'I'he 'circulation of air in the iirst compartment is'f/rom/ and to the atmosphere of the room in 25 which the device is located. That in the second f 5 air delivery device in vcompartment is from and to the space within the canopy, appropriate connections being provided for the purpose. Means are provided for the desired changing of the air in the circulatory system of which the canopy forms part.

In this way I have provided for the adequate cooling and conditioning of the air in a relatively small space for immediate occupancy at a fraction of the power which would be required to cool ,35 and condition the air in a single room. The device is,1moreover, truly portable, since there is no necessity of locating the motor, compressor and condenser in a portion of the building remote from the evaporator, nor any necessity of 40 providing outside Ventilating connections for the4 high pressure devices.

The general assembly of my device is most clearly appreciated fromI Figs. 1 and 2, where I is a somewhat conventional representation of a bedstead, and 2 is the canopy. `'Ihe canopy may be held dlst'ended at the top byfour rods indicated at 3 (or otherwise as desired) andis wpported by a standard. The standard itself may comprise a vertical member 5, and a horizontal member 8, the two being connected by an arcuate member 1. The several members may be made adjustable in any way desired; and the member i may be provided with a hook 8 to engage a strap or loop 9 upon the top of the canopy. The 55 brackets I0 to the-housing II. the base within which, as will hereinafter be described, being mounted upon casters I2. The housing II contains the elements of the cooling system, kand means for isolating the evaporator chamber from the rest of the apparatus. The evaporator. chamber has an outlet I3 to the canopy, and an inlet I4. Entrance and exit from the canopy may be had through flaps 2a and 2b (Figure 1) slidably mounted upon one of the rods 3.

A somewhat different form of canopy structure is illustrated in Figures 1a and 2a, particularly designed to diminish the space within the canopy and promote the efficiency of the device. 'I'he canopy 2c is in this instance in the form of a modified A tent, having a sloping lower end 2d. It is held up at the ends of its ridge section by two angular supporting members 5a. The head portion of the tent may be held distended by a bar 5I. In order to prevent the cooled air from the housing II impinging upon the canopy, the canopy is held outwardly at its side next the housing by a wicket-like member 52 angularly supported upon the housing. It is convenient, in this form of my device to surround both the inlet port I4a and the outlet member I3 with a channel shaped 4frame 53 to which the canopy may be directly attached.

Figures 3, 4, 4a and 5 show the assembly of mechanism within the housing II. A base I5, mounted upon the casters I2, supports some standards I6 from which a sub-base I1 isiresiliently suspended by means of springs I8.

A motor I8 is mounted upon the sub-base, as is also a compressor 20, to the driving wheel 2| of which the motor is connected by means of a belt 22. A. condenser 23 may be mounted upon the base I5, and connected to the high pressure side of the compressor by a tube 24, goose-necked or coiled to permit the vibration of the sub-base. A fan 25 is connected to the motor shaft, and serves to cause air to pass through the condenser to cool the compressed refrigerant; the housing II is cut away and covered with a screen 26 to permit passage of air, and the base is of framelikew, open construction to complete a path for`the circulation of air.

In an upper chamber 21, surrounded by insulation 28, is located an evaporatorv 28. A fan 30, which may be driven by a separate motor 3|, draws air through the inlet I4 `and forces it through the evaporator 29 and through the out- 4 let I3. In order to make the directive action of the fan more efllcient, the evaporator may be placed Within a supplementary partition member 32. cut away circularly adiacent the fan as at 33, and shorter than the chamber 21 so as to provide a space 34 for the passage of incoming air.

The means for supporting the evaporator will best be understood from Figures and 8. A main tray 35 is supported in the compartment 21 at an angle to the horizontal, and bears a member 36. This member is of trough shape, since its sides are upturned as at 31. Its ends are turned down and bent over as at 38 so as to form feet for supporting the main portion 36 of the trough away from the tray 35. A member 38 rests on the trough 36 and supports the evaporator in a horizontal position. The purpose of this construction is to permit any supplementary convside than the other.

4I conveniently located outside the housing II as by being suspended from a hook 42. Thus the tray and associated parts not only serve as a support for the evaporator, but also as a means for catching and conducting away moisture condensed by the evaporator from. the air passing therethrough.

The evaporator is surmounted by a reservoir member 44, which will contain an oil skimming device and means for maintaining the desired level of the refrigerant. It is connected by a tube to the low pressure side of the compressor. Likewise the condenser is connected, through a filter 46, to the evaporator, by means of a tube 46a, which in this instance is a tube of restricted diameter used to control the amount of refrigerant fed to the evaporator. The refrigerant may likewise be controlled by a valve and float if desired.

The outlet and inlet members, as has been pointed out, are connected to the canopy as through openings, in the cloth, reinforced by rings 43. The outlet member I3 is constructed in such a way as to permit the directing of the blast of cooled and conditioned air within the canopy in any way desired. It is formed of three substantially cylindrical sections 41, 48 and 49 swiveled to each other and narrower upon one By turning these sections with respect to each other, as suggested in Figs. 6 and 7, the blast can be directed up or down, to either side, or straight forward, at will. The inlet member may, if desired, be provided with an opening 50 for the influx of air from outside the canopy, and this opening may be provided with a regulatable shutter or damper.

In Fig. 4a I have shown a somewhat modified construction in which, however, like parts have been given like index numerals. 'I'he housing II is placed inside an ornamental wooden cabinet 54. When it is not desired to use the device the canopy and supporting members 5a are removed and put away, whereupon the remaining structure may be rolled against a wall with the wooden cabinet portion 54 exposed. This portion may be built to simulate a small stand, a chest of drawers, a radio cabinet or the like.

In this form, my mechanical unit is removable from the cabinet 54 for repair or replacement. To this end, I suspend my sub-base I1 from an overhead structure 55 as will be understood from the drawings. This structure 55 is supported by members 56 and 51, and braced as at 58. It also bears the floor 59 oi the upper chamber 21, together with the evaporator and associated devices, assembled primarily upon a front framework of which the member 56 is a part. All of this structure is, as aforesaid, removable from the cabinet 54, and is held therein byl bolts and wing nuts 60, engaging the front frame-work and brackets 6I on the cabinet.

A controlling switch 62 and electrical connection means 63 are shown.

The canopy supports 5a may be held, as shown, in the channel frame 53. i

I have shown in this modification of my device a condenser 64, which embodies the invention of my co-pending case, Serial No. 715,077 filed March 12, 1934, which on February 16, 1937 matured into Patent No. 2,071,026. In place of the usual vanes, this condenser has a series of pans 65; and the moisture from the evaporator pan is fed to these pans 65 by a tube 66, and assists in cooling the condenser. This eliminates aziu the necessity for a moisture receptacie'suoh as Il in Figure 4. t

The canopy may be of air tight construction, or may, if desired, be formed of a material which is pervious to air and will permit a change of atmosphere by bleeding. It may also be provided with screened openings .to permit change of air: but the construction hereinabove described is one in which all air entering the canopy may first be conditioned and cooled if this is desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an air conditioning device, portable supporting means, a mechanical air conditioning device mounted on said supporting means, a standard on said supporting means for supporting a canopy externally of said air conditioning means,

a canopy so supported and connections betweenl 2. In an air conditioning device, a base, means' on said base for supporting a canopy externally thereof and a housing on said base divided 'into` at least two compartments, the first of said compartments containing the high pressureportion's of a refrigerating device, the second of said compartments containing the low pressure portion of a refrigerating-device and a connection between said latter compartment and said canopy.

3, In an air conditioning device, a base, means on said base for supporting a canopy externally f thereof and a housing on said base divided into at least two compartments, the rst of said compartments containing the high pressure portions of a refrigerating device, the second of said compartments containing the low pressure portion of a refrigerating device and a connection between said latter compartment and said canopy, and means for causing a power forced delivery of air from said latter compartment to said canopy.

4. In an air conditioning device, a base, means on said base for supporting a canopy externally thereof and a housing on said base divided into at least two compartments. the first of said compartments containing the high pressure portions of a refrigeratlng device, the second of said compartments containing the low pressure portion of a refrigerating device and a connection between said latter compartment and said canopy. means for causing a power forced delivery of air from said latter compartment to said canopy. and means for Ventilating said first mentioned compartment by forcing air therethrough from and to a Space outside said canopy.

5. In a portable air conditioning device, having a base, a canopy associated therewith and supported thereby for isolating a zone of immediate occupancy, a cabinet on said base having compartments, high pressure and low `pressure portions of a refrigerator device located in different compartments, means 1/ for producing a power forced circulation of air between the .,compartment containing said low pressure portion and said canopy, and between the compartment containing said high pressure portion and a space outside said canopy. Y

6.`In a portable air conditioning device, having a base, a canopy associated therewith and partment containing said low pressure portion.'

and said canopy. and between the compartment containing said high pressure portion and a space outside said canopy, and means for revxncving to a space outsldesaid canopy, moisrture' condensed upon the low pressure portion of s aid refrigerating device.

,"'c 7. In a. portable air conditioning device, having a base, -a canopy associated therewith and supported thereby `for isolating a zone of immediate occupancy, a, cabinet on said base having compartments, high'pressure and low pressure portions of a refrigerator device located in different compartments, means iorv producing a power forced circulation of air between the compartment containing said low pressure portion, and said canopy, and between the compartment containing said high pressure portion and a space outside said canopy, and means for removing to a.V space outside said canopy, moisture'condensed upon the low pressure portion of said refrigerating device, said means comprising a pan, supplementary means' emptying into said pan but spaced therefrom for catching said condensate i and means on said supplementary means for supporting the evaporator of said low pressure portion, a removable lvessel associated with said cabinet and a connection between said pan and said vessel.

' POWEL CROSLEY, Jn.

supported thereby for isolating a zone of imme- 

